Establish proper drainage system, Garissa traders tell county

Garissa town traders have appealed to the county government to move with speed and establish a proper drainage system.

They said the move will help solve the flooding menace experienced during the rainy seasons.

The last few days have witnessed flooding of water following three days of heavy downpour, leading to big losses for traders whose goods were washed away or damaged, derailing their efforts to make a living.

The town has been grappling with increased solid waste that has ended up being a health hazard to residents.

The most common types of waste include food packaging, bottles, cans, plastic bags, paper and tobacco products, which clog drainage systems, causing flooding during the rainy seasons.

Martin Ekidor, a trader who owns an eatery joint along Kismayu Road, said that poor garbage disposal within the town is also another challenge, especially when the drainage tunnels are blocked by garbage preventing water flow.

“We are asking the county government to conduct frequent garbage collection in the town and also look into the water tunnels and unblock them every few days so that we can end this problem for once,” Ekidor said.

“I also want to ask the residents to be responsible, especially on dumping of garbage. It is not good even for our own health.”

Qorahey market chairperson Amina Abdi, while speaking on behalf of other traders, called for the expansion of the roads in the CBD and construction of  bigger culverts that will allow water to flow into the nearby River Tana without flooding into business premises and streets.

“There is always flooding everywhere when it rains in this town. We want the county government to expand the roads within town and clear the drainage tunnels so that the water can flow smoothly without affecting us,” she said.

“Some schools and shops were flooded and the floods are also a danger to people because some may drown, especially because the tunnels along the roads can’t be seen when there are floods.”

Speaking at the CBD during an assessment visit, county assembly Roads, Transport and Public Works committee chairperson Abdirahman Borr said that they are working on recommendations to the Roads executive for a quick action before another downpour.

“We have seen a pathetic situation where the culverts have been destroyed by floods and some traders have encroached on the water paths. People have lost a lot of money...we need a prudent action before another rainfall,” Borr said.

Nanigi MCA Abdullahi Ibrahim, who is also a member of the committee, said they will be working with the Urban Roads department to see if the roads within the town can be expanded and improve the drainage system as well.

“The drainage system is not very good as of now. It needs to be expanded, cleaned and maintained. We will make these recommendations and table a report at the assembly so that action can be taken,” Ibrahim said.

In September, Governor Nathif Jama launched a weekly town-cleaning drive for Garissa municipality. The clean-up exercise has been going on every Sunday.

He urged members of the public to dispose of waste responsibly.